2 killed in northwest Indiana crash

November 28, 2008

A Merrillville, Ind., couple were killed Thanksgiving Day when their sport-utility vehicle flipped over on a northwest Indiana highway.

Sherry L. Orton, 45, and Thomas D. Orton, 47, were pronounced dead at the scene. The couple's 2000 GMC Denali rolled over at least twice in a grassy median on Interstate Highway 65 near Indiana Highway 2 near Lowell, Indiana State Police said. The vehicle was northbound and landed on the right-side shoulder of the southbound lane of the interstate.

The couple were ejected from the vehicle and died of blunt-force trauma injuries, the Lake County coroner's office said. Sherry Orton was driving and her husband was the only passenger. They were not wearing their seat belts.

The cause of the rollover is unknown, but weather is not believed to be a factor, State Police said. The highway was shut down for more than an hour after the crash.